The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1887-03-11
OLD PLANTATION MELODIES.
The Sweet Melodies OF the Past.

OLD PLANTATION MELODIES.
The Sweet Melodies OF the Past.
go, for the songs OF my youth, that
never grow oldT We don't know who
said it. II it was not said it ought
to have been.
We love to think of those good old
plantation melodies we heard the darkeys
sing when we were barefooted boy
on a south Georgia farm.
Among our first musical recollectious
was the good song of "Old Uncle
Ned"
Oar was an ole darkey,
And Is name wus Uncle Ned,
An q died not berry long ergo.
An e had no har on de top Oh Is he'd,
De place whar de wool orter gro.
CHORUS:
Den lay down the shubbel and de hoe,
And hang up do fiddul and de bow.
Oars no more wurk ter poor old Ned;
He's gone whar de good darkies go.
And then there's that happy old negro
minstrel song which y e first heard as a
boy sung by the amateur minstrel corps
of Bainbridge, led by that genial soul,
now Postmaster and editor OF the Balm
bridge Democrat, Ben. Russell.
About all the words to the song
were:
Pickyune er Butler am er comm and er
Pickyune er Butler am er comm TO de
town.
The melody was quick and spirited,
and before every chorus, Ben, who
was the leader, delivered q spoken
part.
And at the LOG rollin'" we heard the
happy negroes sing: -
Oh, stump Tony,
Down below,
] knowed yer raisin,
Down below,
Yer daddy name Tony,
Down below, y
Yer mamma named Indy,
Down below,
Yer raised in de b8ckwoods,
Down below,
Yer raised on uterd knots,
Down below.
And so on and so on, the leader sing
ing the lines and the balance of the crowd
joining in the chorus.
But, ah, what n sweet old song Is that
we heard many a time float up to the big
house from the quarters after supper
and frequently after we went to bed:
Down in dat cornfield,
Yer hear that mornful SCUM,
All de darkies am eT weepin',
Old Massa's in de cold, cold groun'.
Massa dubbed dem darkies dearly,
And de darkies dubbed him,
Now he's gone away and left dem,
Dell neber see his smilin' face agin.
Down in dat cornfield, etc.
And there was another sweet and plain
tive song. " Old Jesse" It was sung by
a now sainted sister, with whom it was
a great favOrte.
One of the verses ran thus:
Old Jesse's hair was gray and long,
Like de moss upon the tree;
His tOoftie7 would drop out er de old
iawbOne,
But soon he will be free. -
CHORUS:
Den pity poor old Jesse an wipe dat tear
drop from your eye.
Old JeSSe's goin ter leeb US now,
An in der groun' ter lie.
Among the songs that has never grown
old with us is 80 of My Dear Old
Cabin Home" We have heard it since
childhood, but more then than we do
now. It was once great favorite with
vocal serenaders:
am going far away, far away ter leeb
you now,
To the Mississippi Riber l am goin'.
I'll take the old banjo an I'll sing yer er
little song,
Way down in my old cabin home.
CHORUS:
Here lies my old cabin home,
Here lies my sister an my brudder,
Here lies my wife, she's the joy Of my
life
An de child in de grave wild its
=: mother.
Old age am comm on and my hair am
turning gray,
And I'll hang up de banjo all along,
And we'll sit by de fire an we'll pass de
time away,
Way down in me old cabin home.
CHORUS;
Here lies me old cabin home, etc.
There is nothing better in music than
full chorus ofvoiees singing this grand
old song.
And that song the negro banjoist
used to sing:
Ef had a scoldin' wife,
Whip 'er shores yer born,
TEX 'er down to New Orleans,
Trade 'er of fer corn,
Trade 'er off fer corn,
Trade 'er off fer corn.
Wish 1 was in Alabam,
Sittin' in big arm cheer,
Great big boka by my side,
An er whoopin' ter my dear,
Er whoopin' ter my dear,
Er whoopin' ter my dear,
Er whoopin' ter my dear.
And that hop-sklp-and-a-jump Song
OF the little negro before the cabin
door:
Wheel about. turn about,
Do jess SO;
Ebery time 1 wheel about
1 jump jim crow.
These melOdiOus Ienections carry US
back to the good old days OF childhood
when we felt as free as q bird and as
happy as a sunshiny day.-[T [Tatbottom
(Ga.) Era.
ApoIIo's Double.
They saw that lust by way OF killing